Jennifer Barretta First Female to WIn Predator Pro-Am Tour

The Predator Pro-Am Tour's 12th stop of the season rolled through Cue Nine, in Levittown, NY on October 1-2, 2011. Cue Nine, which is one of the newest pool rooms in Long Island, features an impressive menu by celebrity chef Marc Anthony Bynum, as well as a unique upscale atmosphere.

The event drew top amateurs and pros for their respective events, and while there was stand out play by several people in the two events, the major buzz was all about one person in particular… Jennifer "9mm" Barretta.

Jennifer Barretta has emerged as one of the top women players in the game, as well as being branded as one of the most marketable players in the game today. ESPN has recognized Jennifer for being one of the sexiest athletes in sports, and she has been featured as a model & athlete in Maxim and Playboy magazines.

Most recently, Jennifer has helped spearhead a breakthrough group of female NYC players called the RackStarz, who are working on bringing a new level of exposure and excitement to the game. Through continuing to improve her game and competing in both the women's and open events, Jennifer Barretta has proven that she has a serious game to back up the hype.

Jennifer came out to compete against the best in the Predator Tour's Open/Pro 10-Ball event, and ended up proving that her "9mm" firepower was enough to battle against the big guns and giant killers. Jennifer started out with a win over Jerry Tarantola 8-4, than defeated her first teacher, and the tour's #1-ranked player Tony Robles, for the first time.

However, she was sent to the one-loss side after an impressive performance by Jeremy Sossei. Jennifer then bounced back with an 8-7 hill-hill win over Gregg McAndrews in the semifinal, earning her a spot in the finals.

In the finals, Jennifer was set for a rematch against one of the region's toughest players, Jeremy Sossei (currently #17 on the BCA rankings list), who had been dominant in two previous sets against Jennifer.

In the final match, Jennifer Barretta played a spectacular set en-route to a 11-4 final scoreline, putting an exclamation on making history on the Predator Tour. With this win, Jennifer became the first female pool player to ever win an Open/Pro event on the Predator Tour.

Tony Robles mentioned that he has never seen Jennifer play at such a high level, and was playing good enough to beat anyone in the world the way she was playing. Tony appeared teary eyed after his match with Jennifer, who proved to be a very worthy opponent in their set. "I am super proud of Jennifer. She has come such a long way since her first lesson with me years ago and I couldn't be happier for her" stated Tony.

Two other players brought buzz-worthy performances to the table in this event. Pat DiBuono also brought his "A" game as he had an impressive and remarkable event, as he defeated several strong players, including Tony Robles. Gregg McAndrews also had a strong day, playing several stand out sets, including defeating the always-tough Frankie Hernandez in two consecutive sets.

Kudos go out to Jennifer Barretta on this very impressive win… be sure to keep an eye out for one of the strongest women players in the game today to continue, as she continues to stir up buzz in and around the game.


Open/Pro 10-Ball Final Results:

1st: Jennifer Barretta - $500
2nd: Jeremy Sossei - $300
3rd: Gregg McAndrews - $165
4th: Pat DiBuono - $100

 
 In the Predator Tour's Amateur 9-Ball event, forty-five players came out to compete at Cue Nine. Top amateur players included Mark Pantovic, Tony Liang, Wellington Reyes, Christian Smith, John Ortiz, Raphael DaBreo, and Daniel Dagotdot.

Daniel Dagotdot came into this event as one of hottest amateur players in the Tri-State area right now, and was looking to prove he can hang at his newly-appointed A+ rating, which is the highest rating in the Predator Tour's amateur division.

However, Daniel had a rough start to the event, taking a first-round loss on the hill (7-6) to Jamie Gremmo. But, in comeback fashion, Daniel won the next nine consecutive matches to earn a spot in the finals.

On his road to the finals, Daniel defeated Robert Gipp 8-6, Roberto Mendoza 7-4, Shawn Sookhai 8-6, Tony Sinacore 7-6, Dave Shlemperis 8-7, Christian Smith 7-3 John Ortiz 7-5, George Poltorak 9-5, and Wellington Reyes 7-6.

Meanwhile, Luis Novas took control in the winner's bracket, running through to the finals undefeated. Luis is another player who has been putting in a lot of time in both on the practice table and in competition, and is also poised to soon break through to the next level.

En route to the finals, Luis Novas defeated Gail Glazebrook 7-4, Bob Schlott 7-5, Tony Ignomirello 7-3, George Poltorak 7-6, and Wellington Reyes 9-5 in the hot seat match. At the end of the day, Luis and Daniel decided to split the victory and be co-champions of the event. Congratulations to both Luis Novas and Daniel Dagotdot for their much-deserved victories.

Amateur 9-Ball Final Results:

1st/2nd: Daniel Dagotdot / Louis Novas - $750 (Each)
3rd: Wellington Reyes - $400
4th: George Poltorak - $225
5th/6th: Ron Mason, John Ortiz - $165
7th-8th: Bob Schlott, Christian Smith - $125
9th-12th: Tony Ignomirello, Dave Shlemperis, Charles Young, Billy Santiago - $100
 
 
The next stop on the Predator Pro-Am Tour will take place on October 15-16 at Cue Bar in Bayside, Queens, NY. Be sure to check out www.PredatorProAmtour.com for more details.